K., I truly can't imagine how disorienting it must be to return to work after such a long time at home. You wrote about the "grit" in the scenery on your commute. You, and others like you, have to be gritty to go through so much work upheaval due to the pandemic. I never stopped working, although I worked a little from home for a few months last year, and am sure if I had a break as long as yours, I'd never return if I didn't have to.

When I first visited New Jersey and New York in 2009, Ben and I stayed with his mother in NJ and took a train to Manhattan every morning for a day of sightseeing. The train passed miles and miles of grit - abandoned buildings, walls and fences defaced with vulgar graffiti, discarded cars and trucks, dilapidated houses, and piles of trash, mostly emblazoned with the names of fast-food restaurants. I'd never seen land and property so disrespected. And, I could not imagine a lifetime of commuting past acres of garbage and castaways. How depressing and disheartening. After those dispiriting sights, how does one summon enough positive energy to function through a day of school or work?